RAM suggestions - Dual Channel Mode or not?
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Posted by John on June 4, 2008, 9:26 am
Please log in for more thread options an AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+ processor and currently have a 1GB stick of DDR2 800MHz / PC6400 RAM. I want to add more RAM (I need to learn about MS Vista Ultimate and, although it works with 1GB, I believe it works a lot better with more - and, adding more RAM is never a Bad Thing anyway) but I'm unsure of what's the best way to do it. The mobo is capable of running the RAM in Dual Channel mode but I know that you have to have matched pairs for this to work properly, so my question is, which will give the best performance increase for the money (obviously 2GB in Dual Channel should be better than 2GB Single Channel, but is it worth the extra expense?): (a) Keep the existing stick of RAM and just add in another one (I doubt I'll be able to match it as I don't know who manufactured it) (b) Ditch the existing stick and get a properly matched pair to give 2GB running in Dual Channel mode Cheers, John | |||||||||||||
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Posted by kony on June 4, 2008, 5:21 pm
Please log in for more thread options Ditch the existing stick, you can get 2 x 1GB pair of DDR2 for about $15-25 after a rebate making the old module worth roughly $10, not a big loss since you still have it to reuse, sell or give away. | |||||||||||||
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Posted by John on June 4, 2008, 6:03 pm
Please log in for more thread options kony wrote:
> On Wed, 4 Jun 2008 14:26:30 +0100, "John"
> >> I'm running a home-built computer based on an Asrock ALiveNF6G-DVI
>> mobo with an AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+ processor and currently have a >> 1GB stick of DDR2 800MHz / PC6400 RAM. >> >> I want to add more RAM (I need to learn about MS Vista Ultimate and, >> although it works with 1GB, I believe it works a lot better with >> more - and, adding more RAM is never a Bad Thing anyway) but I'm >> unsure of what's the best way to do it. The mobo is capable of >> running the RAM in Dual Channel mode but I know that you have to >> have matched pairs for this to work properly, so my question is, >> which will give the best performance increase for the money >> (obviously 2GB in Dual Channel should be better than 2GB Single >> Channel, but is it worth the extra expense?): >> >> (a) Keep the existing stick of RAM and just add in another one (I >> doubt I'll be able to match it as I don't know who manufactured it) >> (b) Ditch the existing stick and get a properly matched pair to give >> 2GB running in Dual Channel mode >
> Ditch the existing stick, you can get 2 x 1GB pair of DDR2 > for about $15-25 after a rebate making the old module worth > roughly $10, not a big loss since you still have it to > reuse, sell or give away. Thanks Kony, will do. | |||||||||||||
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Posted by kony on June 4, 2008, 11:26 pm
Please log in for more thread options On Wed, 4 Jun 2008 23:03:52 +0100, "John"
>kony wrote:
>> On Wed, 4 Jun 2008 14:26:30 +0100, "John"
>> >>> I'm running a home-built computer based on an Asrock ALiveNF6G-DVI
>>> mobo with an AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+ processor and currently have a >>> 1GB stick of DDR2 800MHz / PC6400 RAM. >>> >>> I want to add more RAM (I need to learn about MS Vista Ultimate and, >>> although it works with 1GB, I believe it works a lot better with >>> more - and, adding more RAM is never a Bad Thing anyway) but I'm >>> unsure of what's the best way to do it. The mobo is capable of >>> running the RAM in Dual Channel mode but I know that you have to >>> have matched pairs for this to work properly, so my question is, >>> which will give the best performance increase for the money >>> (obviously 2GB in Dual Channel should be better than 2GB Single >>> Channel, but is it worth the extra expense?): >>> >>> (a) Keep the existing stick of RAM and just add in another one (I >>> doubt I'll be able to match it as I don't know who manufactured it) >>> (b) Ditch the existing stick and get a properly matched pair to give >>> 2GB running in Dual Channel mode >>
>> Ditch the existing stick, you can get 2 x 1GB pair of DDR2 >> for about $15-25 after a rebate making the old module worth >> roughly $10, not a big loss since you still have it to >> reuse, sell or give away. >
>Thanks Kony, will do. > ... or, you could keep searching till you find what seems to be an identical module to the one you have, or, with some very large jobs if you have 3 memory slots you could benefit from 3GB instead of dual channel 2GB. | |||||||||||||
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Posted by VanguardLH on June 4, 2008, 9:32 pm
Please log in for more thread options
> I'm running a home-built computer based on an Asrock ALiveNF6G-DVI mobo with
> an AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+ processor and currently have a 1GB stick of DDR2 > 800MHz / PC6400 RAM. > > I want to add more RAM (I need to learn about MS Vista Ultimate and, > although it works with 1GB, I believe it works a lot better with more - and, > adding more RAM is never a Bad Thing anyway) but I'm unsure of what's the > best way to do it. The mobo is capable of running the RAM in Dual Channel > mode but I know that you have to have matched pairs for this to work > properly, so my question is, which will give the best performance increase > for the money (obviously 2GB in Dual Channel should be better than 2GB > Single Channel, but is it worth the extra expense?): > > (a) Keep the existing stick of RAM and just add in another one (I doubt I'll > be able to match it as I don't know who manufactured it) > (b) Ditch the existing stick and get a properly matched pair to give 2GB > running in Dual Channel mode > > Cheers, > > John I have not yet ever *needed* to use matched pairs. I have gotten matched pairs but only when the pricing was the same as buying them separately. You don't want to buy no-name brand of modules because you want the same geometry on the modules, so buy 2 sticks that are the same brand and model. Unfortunately, you say that you have no info on the brand and model to ensure that you can match it up with another stick of the same brand and model. | |||||||||||||
>an AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+ processor and currently have a 1GB stick of DDR2
>800MHz / PC6400 RAM.
>
>I want to add more RAM (I need to learn about MS Vista Ultimate and,
>although it works with 1GB, I believe it works a lot better with more - and,
>adding more RAM is never a Bad Thing anyway) but I'm unsure of what's the
>best way to do it. The mobo is capable of running the RAM in Dual Channel
>mode but I know that you have to have matched pairs for this to work
>properly, so my question is, which will give the best performance increase
>for the money (obviously 2GB in Dual Channel should be better than 2GB
>Single Channel, but is it worth the extra expense?):
>
>(a) Keep the existing stick of RAM and just add in another one (I doubt I'll
>be able to match it as I don't know who manufactured it)
>(b) Ditch the existing stick and get a properly matched pair to give 2GB
>running in Dual Channel mode